by James L. May
You knew I would find the killer. You knew that I would live. My own ending is no less confined by necessity than the unwritten stories of the dead.
But Veronika—her survival was not so sure. It was not to be inferred from the structure of things, was it?
A year ago, drunk, I wrote that I wished her dead. But now, whatever her miseries and compromises, I am glad—glad for her to have outlived my story.
Let her poem of survival end this book.
On Solovetsky Island
A hundred miles of gray cloud out to sea,
where the pines came down to the water.
When an old man inquired officially,
I said: “Why should I believe in lovers?”
It was the kind of lie you tell in jail,
where they pass you on yourself as sentence.
Heart, if you fret, I tell you: shiver, crack, go unhealed!
I’ll not-not-not do one more ounce of penance.
Do not remind me now what you were for,
Or of gulls heard through a rented window crying.
We must thread this century’s corridors,
and exercise the choice that’s left us—to refuse.
About the Author
James L. May holds an MFA from Florida International University, along with a BA in English from Cornell. He grew up in New Jersey, lived in New Orleans, and now resides in New York City. His short fiction has appeared in Tigertail, and he reviews fiction for The Florida Book Review, Gulf Stream Literary Magazine, and the New Orleans Review.
All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this book or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2020 by James L. May
Cover design by Colin Dockrill
978-1-5040-6058-5
Published in 2020 by Delphinium Books, Inc.
P. O. Box 703
Harrison, NY 10528
www.delphiniumbooks.com
Distributed by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.
180 Maiden Lane
New York, NY 10038
www.openroadmedia.com
Founded in 1986, Delphinium Books is committed to publishing original, important voices in both fiction and nonfiction. Our purpose is to recognize excellence in writing, and thereby bring it to public attention. Major book reviews and support from booksellers and librarians have contributed to Delphinium’s growth and distinction. We pride ourselves on publishing such acclaimed authors as Helen Yglesias, Héctor Tobar, Eileen Pollack, Jospeh Caldwell, William Davidow, and the internationally renowned novelist Francesca Duranti. Delphinium is especially proud of the critical acclaim accorded to Rosina Lippi’s Homestead, winner of the 1999 PEN/Hemingway award for best first fiction.
With its mandate to provide a rich venue for exemplary writers of our generation, Delphinium proudly offers its readers the best in quality literature.
FIND OUT MORE AT
WWW.DELPHINIUMBOOKS.COM
FOLLOW US:
@DelphBks and Facebook.com/DelphiniumBooks
Delphinium Books is one of a select group of
publishing partners of Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.
Find a full list of our authors and
titles at www.openroadmedia.com
FOLLOW US:
